OKOTOKS MICRO HOME ECO-VILLAGE PROJECT

Vagabond Tiny Homes, Sagebrush Social Praxis, and the Town of Okotoks have partnered with each other to build a proposed Micro Home Eco-Village. The project is still in the early planning stages, and there will be many opportunities for public consultation and input.

The community will consist of approximately 40 micro home units, ranging in size from 380 sq. ft. to 600 sq. ft. (all with large decks). All the micro home units will be permanently fixed to concrete foundations (no wheels!). This project is built on a mixed-market model which means that there will be: affordable- and market-rate rental units; VRBO or short-term vacation rental units; and for-purchase units. The entire community will be wheelchair-accessible with 15% of the micro homes being designed specifically with wheelchair-accessibility in mind. Another 15% of the units will be for Indigenous residents (First Nations, Inuit and Métis). A core aspect of the community is a large central building, which will include: an industrial sized kitchen and dining room for hosting events larger than the micro homes can handle; private storage lockers for each home; rentable office/working spaces; functional meeting room(s); an outdoor gathering space for markets, concerts, etc.; and more! Input on what the community building should include will be one of the topics available for public input.

Sagebrush Social Praxis is also establishing a First Nations Traditional Knowledge Keepers consultation process to help assist and guide us in ensuring the community embodies and upholds respectful, reciprocal Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships.

Additionally, the community will feature privacy landscaping, a commercial greenhouse (which will be professionally run, supplying fresh produce for the micro home residents and the Okotoks Food Bank), private garden plots, and a children’s play area. A primary focus of the community is green energy technology.

It is our hope that this Micro Home Eco Village may serve as a positive example of what housing models in Canada can look like. We are aiming to create a model that can be replicated in other municipalities across the country. As mentioned before, the community is still in its early planning stages and we are looking forward to engaging with the public and creating a community that Okotoks is proud of!

The Town of Okotoks has compiled a comprehensive and detailed information page

about the project on their website, including an extensive Frequently Asked Questions section: